Abstract: On December 17, Employee #1, a journeyman tree trimmer, was cutting a downed power pole. He and three coworkers were assigned to remove a large tree that had taken down the power lines and a power pole. The power crews had cut the power lines and made the area safe for the tree trimming crews working around the downed lines. Employee #1 and the coworkers removed approximately 8 ft of the pole. The middle section had communication lines attached, and the tree still had them trapped. A decision was made to cut the bottom of the pole, leaving the middle section with the communications lines attached floating above the ground. Employee #1 was on the ground cutting through the bottom of the downed pole with a chain saw. As he was finishing the cut, the 42-in. long piece of the power pole spun down and came back striking him. Employee #1 was hospitalized and died.